Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday felt Sunil Jakhar's resignation from the post of Punjab Congress chief was “totally unnecessary”. Punjab was one of the states where Congress performed better. Singh believed Jakhar could not be individually responsible for the defeat in Gurdaspur at the hands of BJP candidate Sunny Deol.

"Had he discussed the matter with me I would have categorically advised him against quitting as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) President," Amarinder Singh said in a statement here.

The Chief Minister said there was absolutely no reason for Jakhar to quit.

Jakhar tendered his resignation from party post to Congress president Rahul Gandhi taking moral responsibility for losing his seat which he wrested from the BJP in 2017 by-elections.

Other state Congress presidents had quit taking responsibility for the poor performance of the party in their respective states, he said, contrasting their case with that of Jakhar, under whose leadership the Punjab Congress defied all electoral trends at the national level.

The Congress has won eight of the 13 seats. The Akali Dal and the BJP won two seats each while the Aam Adami Party (AAP) won one seat.



'Congress needs Jakhar to further strengthen party'

Jakhar led the PPCC to a great showing in the Lok Sabha elections, despite a pro-BJP wave across the country, and the state Congress needed him to further strengthen the party's standing in Punjab, said Amarinder Singh.

On Jakhar's own defeat from Gurdaspur, which he cited as his reason for quitting, the Chief Minister said the PPCC chief was not to blame for the loss.

The people of Gurdaspur opted for star adulation against a seasoned politician who had worked hard for the development of the constituency in the past about 18 months, which did not at all reflect on Jakhar's ability or capability, said Amarinder Singh.

'Polity in country requires evolvement'

The defeat of Jakhar at the hands of Bollywood star Sunny Deol was unfortunate and simply showed that polity in the country was yet to evolve, he said.

He expressed the hope that the people would eventually learn to take these critical decisions based on the quality of the candidate and not on account of his or her star value.

Amarinder Singh hoped the party High Command would not accept Jakhar's resignation, which was clearly the result of an emotional reaction.

(With additional information from IANS)